Thursday, December 1, 2011

Recipe from The Cottage Home by TheCottageMama@gmail.com. It looked amazing so I had to repost :)

These Goat Cheese and Ham Wrapped Asparagus were a huge hit at Matilda's "Tea for 2" party. And surprisingly it was the men who really gobbled these up! They are a great finger food because they don't require a fork and are easy to pick up and eat while you socialize.

Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus (approximately 1"- 2"). Cook asparagus. Only cook for a few minutes in boiling water and then shock them in a large bowl of ice water. You do not want to over-cook the asparagus because they will lose their beautiful green color. You also still want them to have a good bite and not be flimsy. I'd say, in this case, better to under-cook than over-cook.

Clean your fresh chives. We picked these from our herb garden so they are super long. You will need one chive per asparagus spear.

Combine your herb goat cheese and the 1/3 block cream cheese. The cream cheese will help the goat cheese be easier to work with when spreading it on the pieces of ham.

Cut ham in half or thirds (we did thirds because our ham slices were very large). Spread a very thin layer of goat cheese on each piece of ham. Roll up asparagus in ham/goat cheese. Tie with a chive to secure. Place in a container to keep cool in the refrigerator. Can be made a day in advance.

Remove from refrigerator just prior to serving. Place on a serving tray. I love using white because I think it makes the colors pop, but you can use whatever you'd like.

I would suggest discarding any un-eaten asparagus after the party if it has been sitting out for several hours. These asparagus were eaten up SO quickly. I would recommend making more than you need and maybe bringing them out in two rounds so they don't spoil.

I think that it's one of the few chances in life to assist God with a miracle.

I'll confess, there are several parts of pregnancy I don't enjoy, but overall I love it. Don't get me wrong, I do get big and awkward, moody and especially the last couple months of being pregnant in the heat of summer I was pretty much miserable. What can I say; my husband is a lucky man.

But thank the Lord those 10 long months finally come to an end. Yes 10 months, why people say 9, I'm not sure. 40 weeks, do the math. And it my case it was longer than 40- Wyndham was 41 ½ weeks and Paisley was 40 weeks and 2 days. While I may be a big, moody and a grouch, childbirth I love.

I never thought I'd be the type who would actually enjoy giving birth. It's intense and scary and messy and I don't care what you say, Gisele, or anyone else for that matter, it hurts. OOHHH EEEMM GEE does it hurts. But at the end you feel so strong, so capable and so powerful. And those moments after bringing my girls into the world, it is magical, there is no other way to describe it but magical. It is the most painful thing I've done in my life, but it is manageable. The way God designed for the contractions to come in waves, you do get reprieve. At the end when they are lasting 2 minutes every minute it's not really much reprieve, but still it helps J

It is like there is a sudden connection I felt to every other woman who had brought a baby into the world. My mom, my grandmother, my sisters, my friends and prayerfully one day my own daughters. Across continents, cultures and time. Women who have labored at home and in hospitals, had cesareans, went natural or had medication. Every experience so intensely personal and yet shared by so many.

I although I dislike the pain of it all, I do in a strange way enjoy it. I love the power in that, the intensity, the focus, the desperation. The wanting to make it end, not because of the pain but the crazy anticipation to meet your baby, this miraculous creation. After all of those hours spent enduring and just getting through, you're finally able to DO something.

And then, suddenly and finally, it's over and she's being handed to me. This baby who grew inside of me, this baby whose face I've imagined for all those months is here, real, in this world with me. It's not often that you are so totally aware of being in the middle of a moment that will change your life forever.

Of course, had my labor or delivery had serious complications- I'm sure this would be a very different post. But I am thankful that it is not.

Aside from a slight issue with the admitting Doc with our second born and a long labor with our first, we really didn't have any issues. The moment they were out it was like any traumas of the last 10 months just melted away and Ryan and I had never been happier or more in love. I recovered quickly with both of my girls (aside from a few stretch marks…) and really everything goes back to normal after a little bit of time. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to have children and allowing me to be a part of that miraculous experience.

So after a little reprieve from blogging, I'm back. Welcome back world, it has been a crazy 4 months to say the least. Kids are amazing, true gifts from the Lord but they sure keep you busy and tired. Thought a sweet way to enter back into the blogging world is with Sweet Paisley James big depute!

She arrived 2 days late on Aug 6th, 2011 weighing in at 7 lbs, 7 oz. Labor was less than half as long as it was with Wyndham, only 7 hrs this time and delivery was speedy, incredibly speedy, less than 10 minutes.

It was a great and sweet experience. Another moment that has changed my life forever. For the good :)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Have had these a ton of times! LOVE them so I thought I'd share the recipe! So easy, so good!!

Jimmy Dean Sausage Cheese Balls

Original Recipe Yield6 dozen

Ingredients

2 (16 ounce) packages Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix

4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Form into 1inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks.

Footnotes

may be prepared ahead and frozen uncooked. To bake from frozen: thaw on baking sheet 15 minutes; bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yes hi. It's me. The still pregnant woman. Since my first one was so late I told Ryan I was just going to plan to be pregnant for 42 weeks instead of 40 so I won't get disappointed. HOWEVER i'm 37 weeks and am soo beyond uncomfortable. Paisley's feet are lodged in my ribs and causing me to not breath so easily. And feet and back are HURTING!!

Had my check up yesterday and am dilated to a 1. A freakin measly little 1. And my cerivix is 'just barely effaced, nice and thick should carry full term'. thanks doc, i know you mean that in an encouraging way, but wow do I really want to have this baby!

OH and I haven't gained enough weight. First I had gained too much when I jumped 7 lbs from my 24 to 27 week appt, now I haven't gained enough b/c I have not gained weight since my 27 week appt. I have been oh so careful in my eating b/c i was scolded and have been chasing a toddler, what is to be expected? And I lost 2 lbs... so that combo sent my doc into a little bit of a tizzy and I will be getting an ultrasound this Friday to check baby and fluids. Tried to tell them that with Wyndham I lost 4 lbs in the last couple weeks with Wyndham and I truly think I am fine. It's just what I do at the end b/c my stomach is sooo squashed up I don't have room to eat. Regardless they are sending me for an ultrasound

oh and . p.s. they told me to bring the hospital bag for if fluids are low they will be admitting/inducing me. we shall see! Perhaps Paisley will be here this weekend. Perhaps I will pregnant for another couple weeks. Have a feeling I will be pregnant for a bit longer...

Either way I'm getting a little baby sometime in the near future and I canNOT wait!

Oh people, these were SOOO easy and didn't cost much. $15 for the paint and $5 in wood, and we had some sandpaper and brushes laying around - free is the best kind of price!!

1) Simply cut the wood to size. I used all different various sizes

2) Sand the HECK out of the side you plan to use. I opted for the electric sander, mostly b/c I'm just plain lazy ; )

{this is the paint i opted for}

3) Paint on 1 generous coat of paint and allow to dry

4) Paint on 2nd coat of paint (this one a bit thinner, mostly just for touch up) and allow to dry

And your DONE! Use these at ANY and ALL occasions! Picnic, Easter, Wine & Cheese Night--anything you can think of! And you can write any message you want on them, although I tend to usually use them in place of tent cards!

Here it is in place of a tent card:

AND if you are feeling extra saucey you could make an little label with your cricket or silhouette if you have vinyl paper. I didn't have any of that so I made a little "Menu" label out of some Avery 8665 clear page labels like these:

Here she is jumbo sized:

{please don't mind my horrible chalkboard handwriting hahah!}

I used Avery 8665 labels and made these to slap on. I made the background of the label black and the font white so the the background would blend in well with the chalkboard paint.

IF YOU ARE SMART, you will make the chalk board double-sided and put Honey Do List on the other side of the Menu (:

Tis only fair right? :)
Please let me know if you have questions! What else have you used chalkboard paint for? The options are endless....Such a wonderful invention Mr. Chalkboard Paint Inventor- thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

I helped throw a baby shower for my new nephew and the theme was Dr. Seuss as that is the theme of the nursery (which is beyond amazing!!--planning to snag some pics soon :) Had so much fun planning this shower, and it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself (:

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About Me

Hello and thanks for visiting my blog! I'm married to the wonderful Ryan and mother of two little beauty Queens: Wyndham Lee and Paisley James. This blog is a way to keep my loved ones up to date on my life's happenings and new projects I'm constructing and recipes I'm trying. Thanks for stopping by!
I'm a lover of sewing, crafting, decorating, organizing, cooking, baking, thrifting as well as all things domestic! I'd love if you followed my blog, always love new friends!
So long for now :)